A Seasonal Chore
by threetoedsloth
Summary: When the Cartwright brothers head off to do some chores, not all goes according to plan.
1. Chapter 1

It was the first fine day of the new year. The sun was out and the air had a hint of summer warmth. To the Cartwright's that meant a whole lot of work needed to get started. Ben had decided the day before that it was time to start riding fence to see the damage done by Mother Nature. Ben had a healthy respect for the fury that Mother Nature could wrought, and to him old man winter was the worst.

With the weather becoming better and better Ben thought that the time was among them to get an early jump on the seasonal chores that a ranch requires. And to tell you the truth he wanted to get his boys out of the house. They were driving him crazy. So it was to be that on this fine morning his boys were going to ride off together to ride some fence and expend some pent up energy.

Hop Sing had just laid out a hardy breakfast when Adam and Hoss came slogging down the stairs, sleep still in their eyes. They came over sat down and started eating. There wasn't much to be said this morning. They were enjoying each other's company in a silence that early mornings usually bring. After 15 minutes of a silent breakfast Ben noticed that he had yet to see his youngest: Joseph. Slowly Ben got to his feet and ascended the stairs to Joe's room. He wasn't quietly walking up the stairs and as he reached Joe's room the door flew open and out popped a disheveled 15 year old.

"Oh hi Pa! I was just on my way down to breakfast."

Joe sidestepped his father and ran downstairs to the breakfast table. Ben stood where Joe had left him with a smile on his face. He turned and walked downstairs to join his boys in finishing breakfast.

"So boys are you all packed and ready to go?" Ben asked as Joe and Hoss wolfed down their breakfast.

"Yes Pa" They answer together, Joe and Hoss still having food in their mouths.

"Now I want you boys to check that north pasture fence extremely well. And I don't want to see you back here for three days. You hear! I've had it up to here with you boys." Ben said as he smirked. His boys knew that fence riding is not only necessary ranch work, but also necessary to keep their father sane.

"Well you best get started it's a half days ride to the north pasture. Joe mind your brothers. I'll see you boys in three days." Hoss, Adam, and Joe saddled up and rode out of sight from Ben.

"Be safe my sons" Ben whispered as he watched his boys disappear around the barn.

As soon as they were out of sight from the ranch house Joe took off at a gallop followed shortly by Hoss and Adam was left in their dust.

"Hoss Joe slow down. Do you want to tire the horses this early?" Adam shouted at the backs of his younger brothers. Joe and Hoss stopped their mounts and shouted back

"Oh come on Adam we've been holed up long enough!" Joe stated as Adam trotted up next to his brothers. Adam considered the faces of Hoss and Joe and thought of the long winter they had just had. And to be perfectly honest it was a long hard winter. With a mischievous smile on his face he shouted "Race You"

He pulled Sport around and began to gallop in the open fields. Hoss and Joe were so surprised that it took them a minute to realize what Adam had just done. Spurring Cochise on Joe yelled at Adam to wait up. Not to be out done by his brothers Hoss turned Chubb around to head after them, but for a second he stopped and watched his brothers having fun together.

By the time dusk had set in the brothers had made a good dent in the fence repairs that they had found along the way. The air was a bit colder and the temperature was dropping as night approached. They found a good alcove of rocks that would protect them from the wind that was breezy. They made camp tended to the horses and got a fire going to start supper.

"Adam what did Hop Sing pack us for food?" Hoss asked hungrily

"Well let's see, we got baked beans, jerky, and biscuits." replied Adam starting to smile at the look on Hoss' face.

"What do you mean? Baked beans, jerky, and biscuits! I though he packed some bacon and beef stew in there as well. Dadburnit Adam I'm hungry I need something more!" Hoss said with a miserable look on his face. Adam and Joe started laughing hysterically and Hoss knew then that Adam had been pulling his leg. Hoss jumped up from where he was sitting and tackled Adam to the ground. The two of them rolled around on the ground for a few minutes, with Joe sitting by the fire laughing like a hyena. For Joe it was such a strange sight to see his two older brothers' rough housing. It was usually just him and Hoss, but it was nice to see that Adam could still have. Though he noted that Hoss was winning the wrestling match.

"Adam Cartwright how dare you get between me and a meal after a long hard ride. Now you say Uncle or I will sit on you all night making sure that your supper is only jerky." Hoss said with mock sternness.

"UNCLE!" Adam cried from underneath his younger brother. Hoss got slowly off Adam while Joe started cooking.

"That was probably the smartest choice you could've made there Adam" Joe said while laughing at the sight of Adam brushing the dirt off his cloths. It felt good to be the one laughing and not being the one being laughed at for a change.

Soon the beef stew was ready and the Cartwrights sat down to a warm meal. What more could a man ask for Adam thought to himself. He had a warm meal and the companionship of his brothers. Yeah right now for Adam Cartwright life was good.

They awoke the next morning with the sunrise. It had been a cold night as frost was around their campsite. They had a quick breakfast saddled their horses and were off to ride more miles of fence. They had been riding for almost two hours when Adam picked up on the sound of gunshots in the distance.

"Whoa boy" he called to Sport as Joe and Hoss stopped next to him.

"Whattcha stop for Adam?" Joe asked from his saddle. Before Adam could answer they heard more gunshots off to the west. With a look at each brother Adam hulled on Sports' reigns shouting back to his brothers

"Well what are you waiting for lets go check it out!" As an afterthought Adam added to Joe

"Make sure you stay behind Hoss and I or you won't be able to sit for a month!" Joe made a sour expression at that last statement by Adam, but he was too interested to argue. So on they rode into the unknown.

It took them about an hour to find the source of the shooting. It had been quiet for a good ten minutes before they rounded a bend to see a stage coach flipped on its' side and dead men surrounding the coach.

Adam turned back to Joe "Stay here and makes sure no one sneaks up on us." Joe wasn't thrilled by the orders Adam was giving but, with the look Adam just gave him how could he not listen. Hoss and Adam dismounted their horse and made their way slowly over to the horrors before them.

"Adam do you think it was the Paiutes stirring up trouble again?" Hoss asked with one eye on his surroundings and one eye on where he was going.

"No, I think this was just another robbery gone wrong." Adam stated solemnly.

"How do you figure?" Hoss asked

"Well there aren't any arrows and the strong box is gone. And the men still have their scalps." said Adam grimly

"Yeah I'm guessin' you're right." Hoss said as he turned over the first body to see if he was alive.

"Hey Adam this man here is a marshal."

"Is he alive?"

"No" said Hoss sadly. The Nevada territory was a rough place and this wasn't the first body he'd seen, but it didn't make it any easier.

"Yeah the rest of these men are lawmen as well but none of them are alive." Adam said as he looked around to see if anyone was there. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a man in tattered clothes coming up right behind Joe.

"JOE! BEHIND YOU!" Adam bellowed, but it was too late. The tattered man raised his rifle and hit Joe square across the head as Joe turned in the direction his brother was looking. Adam and Hoss looked on in horror as Joe slumped out of his saddle and onto the ground. Hoss started running up to his brother before Adam could stop him.

"Hoss NO! Come back we need to stick together." Adam yelled in vain at Hoss' back. Hoss was about half way there when another larger tattered man stepped out from behind some rocks. Hoss didn't have a chance to react. The man before him was close to Hoss' size only skinner. Adam noted as he watched his brother get hit over the head and slump to the ground. After Adam had shouted at Hoss to come back he had taken cover behind the fallen stage coach.

"Well you might as well come out. We've got your friends and you are outnumbered." said the large tattered man as he held a gun to Hoss' head.

"I'll give you until the count of ten before I blow this guys brains out. Then I'll give you ten more seconds until we blow the kids brain out. Could you live with yourself knowing you were the cause of your friends' deaths?"

Adam was out of options. He didn't want to give up, but there was nothing more to do than give up. Or watch his brothers die one bye one.

"Alright don't shoot them I'm coming out." Adam said in a defiant voice. He threw his rifle and six shooter over to the side and stood up just in time to see two more men come out from the surrounding woods.

The first man who had hit Joe was dragging him down towards Hoss and the other tattered man. Adam came slowly from behind the stage and walked towards his brothers'. The other two men that came from the woods flanked Adam on either side of him.

"Well look what we've got here, three wise guys trying to steal our hard earned money. Well what do you have to say for yourself?" Asked the man who seemed to be the ring leader.

Anger coursed through Adam's body at what these men had done to his brothers. Though calmness is all he displayed to the men

"Look my brothers and I were not far from here when we heard gunfire. So we came to see what all the ruckus was about and this is what we found! Now tell me who you are and what _you_ are doing here." It wasn't a question. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Well my brothers and I were out riding when _we_ got here you three were searching through the dead and the strong box was missing." The ringleader said quite calmly. Out of the corner of his eye Adam could see the two other men come closer. The tattered man had finally made it down with Joe dragging behind him. Inside Adam gave a soft whistle to the condition of Joe. There was a nice big bruise at the top of his forehead and in the middle of that a good sized gash that still bled freely. He didn't move or make a sound when the man dropped him by Hoss. Hoss was in about the same boat as Joe, though when Joe was dumped on him he moaned. Adam glared back at the other man who stood in front of him. He was older than Adam was by a few years and a bit taller. He had a rough look to his face like he had been through hell and back in his life. Adam could understand what this looked like to these men, but he couldn't understand the brutal force that they used without provocation. Right now the man infront of Adam was a mystery and the person in charge. The other three were younger than the first man and though they looked to also have led a rough life it did not match the ringleader. The youngest "man" looked only a few years older than Joe, yet he was not as healthy looking as Joe. He was skin and bone holding a rifle.

"Look I don't know who you are, but why don't you let me help my brothers and get them home. Our ranch house is about a days' ride from here. You might have heard of the Ponderosa." Adam pleaded with the ringleader.

"Yeah I've heard of the Ponderosa, but you look too young to have created such a kingdom."

"I am. My father Ben Cartwright made the Ponderosa with the help of my brothers and I. So you see we don't need any extra money. There is no way my brothers or I robbed that stage. We were riding fence! The longer er stay here the farther away the real robbers get. If you help me get my brothers home the quicker I can help you track down those bandits and the money they stole from you!" Adam finished exasperated. To his surprise the man infront of him just smiled and said,

"Oh we don't need any help in finding the strong box. We put it in a safe place." With a nod of his head one of the men beside Adam raised his rifle and smashed it into the side of Adam's head. The last thought he had was that he had failed to keep his brothers safe.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter is short, but I hope to post more soon. _

With the three Cartwrights out of the way the ringer leader could finally release the breath that he had been holding onto the entire conversation.

"What are we going to do with them Trevor?" asked the first tattered man who had hit Joe.

"Well I reckon that these boys' pa would pay a pretty penny for his son's safe return. A whole lot more than what was in that strong box that we have stashed away." Trevor answered his brother Johnny. Johnny looked down at the three Cartwright brothers and started smiling.

"Yeah that sounds good to me."

"That sounds all fine and dandy Trevor, but where in the Nevada Territory are you going to hide Ben Cartwright's sons without him finding them before we get the ransom?"

"Well _Steven_ I was thinking of moving them out of Nevada and say maybe into California for some safe keeping until their pa pays." Trevor said with some irritation and continued

"You saw their horses were packed for a good three or four day trip. So we have plenty of time before their pa even starts looking for them. That sound alright to you Steven." Trevor finishing with sarcasm.

Steven turned and walked over to the dead lawmen and began rummaging through their pockets for identification and anything of value.

"Come on over Davy and help me get their badges. It will take someone longer to figure out who these men were and why they were here if they don't have any identification." Steven yelled to his brother Davy who stood by the edge of the woods. Johnny went over to Davy and together they went to help Steven collect all the valuables.

Trevor stood transfixed watching his younger brother's loot like vultures on a dead animal. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He had wanted a better life for his family, for his brothers. No one was supposed to die and now seven people lay strewn about in the dirt. Not to mention the three Cartwright brothers at his feet. He steeled himself not to show the internal battle that was raging inside. He knew that this was wrong but he knew of no other way to survive.

"This is it! After we get the ransom from the Cartwrights I am putting a stop to this." Trevor promised to himself.

"Alright boys let's get these gentlemen away from here as quickly as possible. If they heard all the gunshots odds are someone else did too." Trevor called out to his brothers.

Johnny and Davy rounded up the horses and after about fifteen minutes had the Cartwright's tied to a saddle. They would have been done faster, but they had trouble hoisting the big brother onto his horse.

As they headed out Trevor noticed that the vultures were overhead circling their next meal. Trevor shuttered and pulled his horse around to follow his brothers into the unknown.

The smooth swaying motion of his horse was the first thing that Hoss noticed as he slowly awoke from his enforced nap. As he gathered his senses about him, Hoss realized that he was tied to his saddle in a very uncomfortable fashion. He lifted his head up to find a sharp pain piercing the back of his head. He could feel the blood running down the back of his neck. He finally got up the nerve to open his eyes but quickly shut them as pain seared his eyes as the sun was shining directly in his eyes. Trying a second time more slowly than before and turning his head to the side. He was rewarded with the sight of Adam tied in his saddle with blood covering the side of his face.

"Adam, Adam!" Hoss whispered to his brother.

"Hoss please be quiet. They don't know we're awake yet. Let's keep it that way for awhile." Hoss nodded his head in agreement, but stopped almost as fast as he had started because it hurt. He looked forward to see four men leading their horses.

"Joe! What about Joe?" Hoss panicked for a moment until he turned and found Joe on the horse right next to him. Although this didn't placate his panic because Joe was slumped in his saddle blood coating his face.

"How is he Hoss?" Adam asked in a quiet voice.

"I think he is still out of it Adam. He doesn't look good from this angle. What are we going to do Adam?"

"Wait to see what is going on then we make our –"

"Well, well, well, look here you boys are awake. Hey Trevor these two Cartwrights are awake.

"Stop using names. Do you want the law to have our names? Do you?" Trevor shouted at Johnny as he rode back to take a look at his captives.

"Well glad you boys could join us. We were about to stop for the night and we were all dreading getting you off your horse." Trevor stated as he pointed towards Hoss. Hoss and Adam both glared at the man in front of them.

"What do you want from us?" Adam asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh about $30,000"

"We don't carry that kind of money on us." Replied Adam

"I know but I think your pa can get that kind of money, $10,000 for each of you. I think that is more than a fair price. How about you boys? You think their pa will pay that much for his sons?" Trevor asked turning to his brothers.

Steven and Johnny were laughing at the incredulous looks on the Cartwright's faces and were quick to agree with Trevor. Davy on the other hand sat silently on his horse not saying anything.

Trevor cast a worried look over to his youngest brother. Adam caught the glance and wondered what was going on between these men.

He knew his father would pay the ransom, but at what cost to his family. He didn't have much time to dwell on that as their horses were led west towards the setting sun.

Something was wrong. He could feel it in the air. He'd had these feelings before when his boys were gone. Sometimes he was right and other times he'd worried for no reason other than being their father.

Ben thought about it over and over again as he paced his living room. It was only the second night of his boys' trip. He had to get a hold of himself he thought. They are grown men, except Joe. He knew that Adam and Hoss would do everything in their power to keep the overactive 15 year old safe.

Ben laughed to himself as he thought of his boys and what they would say to him overreacting. But he still couldn't shake the nagging feeling like something was wrong. He walked over to the window hoping to see some sign of his sons, but knew they weren't there. Ben slowly turned away from the window and made his way upstairs to try and get some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright we are going to stop for the night," Trevor called as he dismounted his horse.

'None too soon' Adam thought to himself as he shivered with a drop in the temperature. The sun was slowly making its' way behind the far off mountains. He had noticed some clouds off to the northwest and he didn't like the look of them. This early in the spring he knew that Mother Nature could bring a surprise snowstorm. Adam hoped that it wasn't the case with these clouds.

Adam and Hoss sat waiting for the men to untie them from their horses. The one called Trevor held a gun to Joe's head as two of the others untied Hoss and himself.

"Now get over here and get your brother," Trevor said with a wave of his gun. "If you try anything I'll make sure your pa will bury at least one of his sons."

"Alright, alright! Hold your horses. Did it ever occur to you that we might be a little stiff from sitting in a saddle all day Mister," Hoss snarled at his captors. Together Adam and Hoss walked over to Joe and pulled him down. They carried him over to a tall oak tree and laid him at the base. Two of the younger men were coming over with ropes in hand to tie up their hostages.

"Come on, we are not going to do anything. We need to take care of our brother and ourselves," Adam appealed to Trevor who was sitting by a recently started fire studying Adam intently.

"How far do you think we'd get with him the way he is right now?" he motioned towards Joe. "You do want us alive, so that you can get the ransom."

"Yeah I guess you make sense Cartwright. I won't tie your hands or your brother, but you and the giant I'm tying up your feet. If you boys try anything, we will kill you," Trevor stated with finality.

He got up and walked towards the horses to tend to them. Adam watched as the youngest man went to join his brother and attend to the horses. The other two came and tied up their feet leaving Joe alone for the moment. They went over to start making supper.

"Hey Joe it's time to wake up," Hoss was talking to Joe as Adam turned and grabbed a canteen that was left close to them. He pulled off his handkerchief and put some water on the cloth.

Adam pushed back Joe's hair to get a look at the gash on his forehead. He laughed a little thinking of the battles between his brother and father concerning the length Joe kept his hair.

Though he was more concerned that Joe had yet to make a sound throughout the long ride they'd had today. Gently he cleaned the jagged wound. It was about three inches long and had dirt inside and out. As Adam started to clear away some of the grim the wound started to bleed again. They staunched it quickly and continued to clear the area to keep infection at bay. Adam was cleaning out the wound and Hoss was busy making more bandages.

"Pa?"

Adam and Hoss looked quickly down to their brother's face glad to see signs that he was finally waking.

"Pa?" Joe said louder this time.

"No Joe it's me and Hoss."

"Adam? What happened? Where are we? I want Pa," Joe rambled. Adam and Hoss exchanged a look not sure what to tell Joe.

"Well Joe what do you remember?" Adam asked with a sideways glance at Hoss.

"We were riding fence and you heard gunshots. We went to check them out and found the stage. But you made me stay behind as a look out. I remember you shouting my name and running, but that's about it," Joe finished weakly his eyes already starting to close.

"Come on Joe stay with us a little longer," Hoss pleaded. Adam grabbed the canteen and tilted it in Joe's mouth.

"Adam? What happened? Where are we?" Hoss stole a glance at Adam knowing that this wasn't a good sign.

"We've made some new friends," Adam said succinctly. "You just get some rest."

Joe caught movement out of the corner of his eyes, but he didn't recognize them. They looked like rough men that he had seen in town and out of the dime novels he read. They didn't look like friends.

Seeing Joe's confusion and then sudden understanding all in a few minutes, Hoss reached down a patted Joe on the shoulder. "It's alright Short Shanks, Adam and I will come up with a plan to get us out of this mess."

Joe looked into the faces of his brothers knowing that they would indeed come up with a plan. He suddenly noticed the blood on the side of Hoss' face and he could see the blood on Adam's collar.

"Adam, Hoss are you alright? You don't look too good right now."

"Joe in case you haven't noticed, you don't look so good yourself," Adam said as Hoss started to laugh.

"What's so funny Hoss?" they both demanded.

"The three of us," Hoss said. He was met with two dumbfounded expressions. "I was worried about the two of you and you both were worried about one another. I just think it funny we aren't really worried about ourselves."

Adam and Joe started to chuckle about the irony. Joe immediately stopped and clutched his head. He rolled over to one side and started heaving.

"It's alright Joe," Adam said looking over to the fire to formulate a plan. He had to get his brothers home to a doctor. After a few minutes of heaving, Joe passed out from exhaustion and pain.

"You think he'll be alright Adam?"

Adam cast a worried glance down at his youngest brother. "Yeah, as far as I can tell, I just can't be sure until we get him to a doctor and away from these madmen. Hoss why don't you get some sleep I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if something changes."

Hoss glared at the men sitting around the campfire eating supper. He was so hungry that he would have enjoyed stale biscuits. Just to prove the matter his stomach rebelled and rumbled loud enough for Adam to hear. He looked at Hoss and gave a sad smile knowing that if they voiced their hunger it would do nothing to alleviate the emptiness. Hoss returned Adam's sad smile and then he laid down next to Joe and closed his eyes.

Adam stared down at his brothers wishing that there was more that he could do at the moment, but knowing there was nothing to do but wait for an opportunity to present itself to them.

Looking up he stared at the men responsible for this entire mess. He knew he would be getting little sleep tonight. He was going to stand watch over his brothers all night. He wasn't going to let anything else happen to them and do everything in his power to get them home safely.

Trevor stared back at their three hostages surprised to see the oldest one staring directly at him. Trevor knew that the kid had woken up at some point. He was interested to see how the brother cared for each other. He had heard the kid ask his brothers if they were alright.

Trevor felt bittersweet as he watched them interact together. He wished that it could be like that between his brothers, but he wasn't able to be that kind. The world was a rough place and his brothers needed to know that from an early age.

"Steven, Johnny, Davey get some sleep. I'll take first watch." Trevor said in a low voice so their captives were unable to hear. Steven and Johnny went to their bedrolls and lay down without a second thought, but Davey stayed seated next to Trevor. The only sounds were that of the fire and some owls in the oak tree.

"Trevor what are we doing?"

"What do you mean Davey? I am standing guard so that they don't try anything in the middle of the night."

"I know that!" Davey said exasperated. "What I mean is why are we even in this situation? You said that this was an easy job that nobody was supposed to get hurt. We killed all those people back there and now we have them," he threw his arms indicating the Cartwrights'. "I am no doctor, but that kid doesn't look too good. Why don't we just let them go now and get away while we still can?"

Unbeknownst to Davey, Trevor had been thinking along the same lines. They needed the money, but at what cost? If a posse caught them he knew they would hang before the sun rose.

"Davey I know things haven't gone according to plan, but I promise I will let them go after awhile. This is our last job. After this we can start over buy some land, and settle down. But right now I need you; we need you to get though this together."

Davey looked at Trevor stunned. He wanted this to be over now. He didn't want to let his brothers know just how scared he was that they were all going to die. He didn't want them to know that every time he closed his eyes he saw the bodies of the men that he had killed. 'Can I live on land bought by blood?' Davey thought to himself.

"Alright Trevor, but this is the last job. I don't want to be involved in this any longer." Davey said as he turned and walked towards his bedroll.

Trevor stared at the retreating form of his brother with astonishment. He would never admit this to anyone, but to him Davey was more of a man than he himself was or would ever become.

"Pa! Pa! Where are you?"

Adam jerked to full awareness cursing himself as Joe called out in his sleep. He inched over to Joe putting his hand on Joe's shoulder stilling him immediately.

He couldn't believe that he had fallen asleep on watch. Though he reminded himself that he'd had a full day, and at some point his body needed rest.

Adam's internal clock told him they had about two hours before sunrise. Now was their chance to escape. The young kid was on watch though he wasn't doing a very good job. He was asleep and hadn't moved even as Joe cried out in his sleep.

Adam didn't know quite where they were, but he knew that they had been heading west all day towards the desert. He gathered his courage at what he was about to attempt. He looked over at his brother surprised to see that Hoss had also not woken up at the outburst from Joe. It was a testament to how tired they all really were at this point.

Adam was rethinking that maybe escape wasn't the best idea at this point, but quickly shoved that thought to the back of his mind knowing that it was now or never. Leaning over he shook Hoss and Joe trying to rouse them without waking their captors.

"Hoss, Joe, come on get up it's time to get out of here." At the sound of Adam's voice Hoss woke with a start. Rubbing sleep from his eyes "what's going on Adam?"

"We're getting out of here," Adam whispered. "Help me get Joe up and moving." Together Adam and Hoss grabbed an unresponsive Joe and started to make their way to the horses.

Adam mounted Sport while Hoss handed Joe up to him. Hoss grabbed Cochise and Chubb and led them out of the camp. Once they were outside of the camp Hoss mounted Chubb and they rode silently into the darkness.

Unbeknownst to them Davey had been watching the escape from his spot by the campfire. He smiled as he watched the brothers' head into the dark and towards safety.

DOM, DOM, DOM, DOM. Ben listened as the grandfather clock downstairs chimed the hour. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all night. His thoughts kept drifting towards his sons'.

It was irrational he knew, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that his boys were in trouble. He was frustrated not only with himself, but also with his boys for giving him so much to worry about. He knew that they were smart and careful most of the time, but to him it always seemed like trouble found them no matter where they were or what they were doing.

Ben kicked his blankets aside and started to get dressed. He'd have to wake Hop Sing and ask him to get some supplies ready. And he had to leave instructions for his Foreman. Ben Cartwright knew there was something wrong and he wasn't going to let anything get in his way.

Within the hour Ben was mounting Buck with enough supplies to last a week.

"Hold down the fort," Ben told Hop Sing as he swung a leg over Buck.

"Good-bye Mr. Cartwright. You bring those boys back safely." Hop Sing called to Ben's retreating back.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry for the long, long delay but here is chapter 4. _

He was slowly rocking back and forth in someones arms. Joe was confused by the feeling of swaying and being in someones arms. It had been sometime since someone had held him. The smells and the soft breeze that played across his face told him that he was outside riding with... Adam? He was cold so he tried to move his coat into a better position.

"Hey Joe how are you doing?" Adam's voice sounded right next to his ear.

"I'd be a lot better if you weren't shouting in my ear" Joe grimaced.

"Hey Short Shanks it's about time you woke up. I thought that you'd sleep the whole day through." Hoss' voice came softly from the left.

Joe worked to open his eyes but they felt as heavy as a bail of hay. With defeat he slumped back down into Adam.

"Hey come on Joe it's time to open your eyes all the way. Do you think that you could drink some water? Adam asked more quietly than before. With more determination Joe worked his eyelids open to tiny slits letting just a little light hit his retinas. He felt a canteen being shoved into his hand and realized just how dry his throat tasted. Joe's hand trembled as he moved the liquid to his mouth, but none sloshed out. As the first drops of water hit his parched throat he began to chug the water as fast as he could.

"Whoa Joe slow down or you will make yourself sick.

"Sorry Hoss I'm just so thirsty."

"We understand, but how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts" Joe paused a minute "Hoss where are we? Adam why are you letting me ride with you? What happened?" He finished as he replaced the cap to the canteen.

"Joe do you remember the stage coach?" Adam asked taking stock of Joe's confused look at first and then the sudden panic that stole his face as he looked around for their captors.

"Easy Joe they aren't here right now. Early this morning we broke our bonds and got away from them. We've been riding for about 5 hours now." Adam added to Joe.

"Joe do you think that you'd be able to ride Cochise for a while?" Hoss asked giving Joe a worried look.

Joe certainly didn't feel like riding. At the moment the only thing he wanted to do was go back to sleep. He knew though that it would go faster if he were to ride Cochise for a while. If Adam and Hoss had been riding for five hours then he couldn't let his brothers get the best of him.

"I was born ready to ride." Joe stated confidently as only a 15 year old could do. Adam had his doubts on how long Joe would be able to stay in the saddle, but Sport could only go so much further with the weight of two. Even if one of them was pint sized. Adam wasn't kidding himself he'd felt Joe tremble as he drank, but what choice did they have.

"Alright Hoss bring Cochise over here and lets get Joe back in the saddle again." Adam slipped Joe off of Sport and onto Cochise sending up a prayer to God that Joe would be able to stay on his horse long enough for them to elude their captors.

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Trevor awoke to Steve and Davey shouting at each other.

"YOU FELL ASLEEP ON WATCH AND LET THEM GET AWAY!" Trevor shot up from his bed roll at the news looking around for the Cartwrights. Their horses and supplies were gone and they were nowhere to be seen.

"I can't believe you let them get away! I am going to throttle you boy!" Steve grabbed Davey around the throat and started to squeeze. Davey was putting up a good fight, but it was obvious that it was a fight that he wasn't going to win. Trevor walked over to pull his brothers apart.

"Come on boys we don't have time for this fighting. Those Cartwrights know what we look like and most important they know what we have done. We need to stop this fighting and get them back now!" Trevor yelled at his brothers. Johnny had already gone and saddled the horses and gathered their supplies.

"They couldn't have gotten too far with the kid being hurt. Looks like they went East towards their ranch." Trevor stated looking at the tracks that led away from their camp.

"We could cut them off if we took the pass" Johnny suggested from near the horses. Trevor looked at his brother and then glanced at the sky to the West noticing the darkening sky. 'Great" he thought to himself just another thing to add to his list of concerns.

"Alright lets get ready to move. We have to find those Cartwrights before they find someone that can help them." Trevor yelled as he grabbed his horse from Johnny.

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The sun was high into the sky as Ben Cartwright found his sons' campsite. He had followed their tracks from the ranch house to this spot. The campfire was cold to the touch as he had expected. He knew that this was their first nights' stop. Ben was stiff as he climbed down from Buck to have an early lunch. He hadn't had any breakfast before he left the ranch because of the anxiety he had felt for his boys. Buck needed the rest and if he was honest with himself he too needed the rest. 'He wasn't as young as he used to be' Ben had to keep reminding himself.

As he sat eating a cold lunch of biscuits and jerky. His thoughts strayed to his boys. Men. Well almost in Joe's case. He smiled at the thought of his boys out here in God's creation enjoying themselves. Laughing at a joke that Joe had told or listening to Adam recite some of the books he knew so well. While Hoss would be sitting whittling something for a kid he knew in town.

Ben stayed happy with the musings of his sons for some time. A quail jumped up from behind a boulder and shook Ben out of his thoughts.

"I guess it's time we were on our way." Ben told Buck. As he mounted Buck he looked back over the campsite and found nothing amiss.

'Maybe I'm an old fool and they are having the time of their lives.' He questioned himself, but that didn't last long as another wave of anxiety returned full force. He turned Buck in the direction of the tracks and spurred Buck into a quick trot. No one was going to stand in his way and if they did God help them.

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By the afternoon Adam, Hoss, and Joe were exhausted. Riding along at a snails pace. Adam and Hoss kept throwing glances at Joe to make sure he was still sitting in his saddle. Adam was surprised that Joe was still riding his horse. Though in the last few minutes he had noticed Joe's head slipping slowing toward Cochise's neck. Up ahead there was a small outcropping of rocks and trees that he decided would make an excellent place to rest themselves and the horses.

"Whoa Sport" Adam called to his horse. Nothing had been spoken in hours, so the sound of Adam's voice made both Hoss and Joe jerk in their saddles.

"I think it's time we rest our horses." Adam said to Hoss throwing a look at Joe to get his point across. They both knew their brother was stubborn and that he would not stop unless his brothers suggested it first.

"Yeah Adam I reckon you're right. Chubb has been walking as slow as molasses these last few miles." Hoss pulled up to the trees as Adam was hitching Sport. He was beyond grateful that Adam had called a halt to their travels. He was stiff and sore from riding for so long. His head was still throbbing from where he had been hit, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Hey Joe over here! Where are you going?" Hoss called out to Joe who was just beyond the trees where they had stopped. Joe sat straighter in his saddle and looked around confused noticing that his brothers were not next to him. Hoss walked the short distance over to Joe.

"We're over here. Adam was getting tired of riding. I think he is getting soft in his old age." Hoss joked as he led Cochise over to where Adam was tending to the other horses.

"I heard that brother and I watched you get off your horse not too gracefully." Adam took the reins as Hoss carefully lowered Joe from his saddle. Hoss picked him up and took him over to where Adam had laid their supplies. The whole time Joe was barely awake. He threw a blanket over Joe and went to look for some firewood.

Adam came over after tending the horses and started to pull out the supplies to care for their various wounds. Slowly he undid the makeshift bandage and as he had feared the wound looked red and angry. He sighed at their misfortune knowing that all he could do was to try and keep Joe's head as clean as possible and pray.

It was mid-day and the sun was high in the sky. Though it was not summer the sun was warm on his face, though Joe lay shivering. Hoss walked back to them with an armload of wood and set it down.

"How is he doing Adam?"

"Aside from the bump on his head, the wound that looks infected, and I think that he has a fever. He is doing just fine." Adam finished sarcastically. He immediately regretted his words.

"I'm sorry Hoss. Didn't mean to lose my temper with you."

"Don't worry about it brother." He said with a wave of his hand. "We're in a pickle here and we are running ourselves ragged trying to get away from those men. Shoot I'm angry too. I'm not angry at you, but at this mess those men have put us into." Hoss sat on the other side of Joe pulling out biscuits from their saddle bags. He was grateful that the outlaws had not taken the time to take the saddle bags off the horses. He looked over at Adam and Joe seeing dried blood that was caked onto the side of Adam's head.

"Adam after you are done with Joe it's my turn to play Doc."

"I don't know what you are talking about Hoss, but you are the one who needs the Doc."

Hoss reached over with his neckerchief and dabbed at the side of Adam's head.

"OUCH" Adam pulled back instinctively. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah well we've had a lot on our plates." A sad smile coming across his face. He had been really looking forward to spending sometime with his brothers, the way God had intended. Outside working side by side in His glory. He wanted to take them to a secret fishing hole he knew of along the way. But sometimes what he wanted and what really happened were two very different things. With all his soul Hoss wanted to go back in time to when Adam had heard those ill-fated gunshots. He wanted to argue with Adam to leave well enough alone. He'd told the truth earlier when he said he wasn't angry with Adam. Hoss was just worried about getting everyone home.

Looking to the West Hoss saw darkening clouds. Now he might not be the best at reading but he could be certain that these clouds spelled trouble for him and his brothers.

TBC


End file.
